


Breaking Rules

by ncdover1285



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Busdriver Dean, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Miscommunication, Snowed In, Tour Bus, bus attendant Cas, lifetime au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncdover1285/pseuds/ncdover1285
Summary: Based on the movie Grounded for Christmas. Dean is a bus driver who avoids going home for the holidays. He likes being able to see somewhere new every year and the holiday pay is nice, at least that’s what he tells himself.This year however winter storm Gabriel has other plans, leaving Dean and his new tour attendant Cas needing somewhere to stay. They are just outside of the town that his brother and sister in law live in when the roads are closed.Deciding that it would be better if they pretend they are together, they must navigate the holiday and the past and make it through the other side. Come along for the ride, we are breaking rules.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31
Collections: Destiel LifeMark Bang





	Breaking Rules

**Author's Note:**

> YAY! This was written for the Destiel LifeMark Bang... I love hallmark and lifetime movies, they always have the tropiest of tropes... This bang let me combine that with our lovelies from SPN, so all the better right? 
> 
> I want to thank Lindsay for doing all the beta work for this one, I couldn't get back ahold of her to get what name she goes by on here, so hey Lindsay, if you see this let me know and I'll fix it!
> 
> Okay, I also want to thank the lovely mods for putting this together! It was super-fun, and the cutest smoopiest theme ever! Okay, okay, I think I need to quit gushing and get on with it. 
> 
> Please, if you like it, leave me a kudo, and if you loved it let me know in a comment! Those things are like crack I swear! Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope that you enjoy!

Dean wasn’t very fond of snow. Snow meant that he couldn’t drive Baby, his 1967 Chevy Impala that he painstakingly took care of. Not only would she get dings and scratches, but he didn’t want to think about what the salt would do to her paint job. That, however, was not the only reason that Dean didn’t like the snow. 

Growing up on the road after his mom died had led Dean to have a greater respect for it. He loved being out there with his music blaring and feeling the wind through an open window. Unfortunately, not many careers would allow for that, although he’d found one he deemed close enough. Driving a tour bus didn’t allow him the freedom that a road trip in Baby did, but it allowed him to meet some really interesting people and to see the country.

Every year he volunteered to take the Christmas run his company offered. Most people didn’t want to be working over the holiday, but Dean preferred it to spending it with what little family he had left. He loved his brother, Sam, and Sam’s wife Jessica, but he just couldn’t bring himself to spend Christmas in his family’s old house, surrounded by memories.

Then there was Lisa. He used to spend every holiday with his family . That came to an end about three years ago, when his girlfriend of two years broke up with him at the Christmas Ball. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t just shown up to an event that she was supposed to attend with Dean, with a guy already on her arm. A guy that was definitely not Dean.

So, there were reasons that Dean didn’t want to go back to Lawrence, Kansas over the holiday. They were Dean’s reasons and Sam and Jessica didn’t understand, asking Dean to come spend the holidays with them every year. Jessica was chairwoman of the Christmas Ball this year, so the invites had been more persistent. He still declined as politely as ever, but he wasn’t going back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter storm Gabriel was blowing through the Pacific Northwest, where Dean had moved when he and Lisa broke up. Usually he was out of state most of the time, but it was somewhere he always came back to. The winter wasn’t pretty here and he tried to take as many trips as he could during this time of year. This year was no different. He was leaving just as Gabriel started dropping enough snow to choke a horse. 

Dean heard the cab coming down the drive while he was making sure Baby was safe and secure under her tarp in the shed out behind the house. . It was already snowing and things were quickly turning white. This trip would take him through Kansas, but he wasn’t going to tell Sam that. He’d insist that he stop by. It would only be a few days before Christmas when he reached Kansas, but he really wouldn’t have time to take off and do the family thing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Running into one of his favorite receptionists at the garage was just a perk of showing up early. Charlie was a mess, in a good way, and he loved spending a few minutes with her and Benny before heading out on a long trip. It just kind of set the mood for a good one. After his conversation with Sam this morning, where he once again tried to convince him to come down for Christmas, Dean needed a serious pick me up.

Charlie, never one to disappoint, practically met him at the door with a hot cup of coffee and a cheerful bounce that alerted him to something going on. While Charlie was always cheerful, she only seemed to bounce if she was restraining herself from saying something. At least she was willing to let him get the coffee in his system first. 

“Okay Red, you look like you are about to vibrate right out the door. What’s got you so excited?” Dean stepped past her, clapping Benny on the shoulder. Benny just shook his head and chuckled, he probably knew what Charlie was going on about and didn’t think it was quite as exciting as she did. 

“So, I heard it from Ash, who heard it from Caleb, who heard it from Jo, that you’re getting a new attendant for this trip. A  _ hot _ new attendant, at that.” Charlie winked at Benny here, which only made Dean worry. He and Benny had a code about who they would and would not mess with. Top of that list were the bus attendants. The fact that Benny found this so funny wasn’t lost on him, either. 

“You know the rules, Benny. Why’d you let her work herself up like this? We don’t mess around with the attendants.” This last part was said in unison with Benny.

“Yeah, yeah I know brotha’, but this one’s different. Hear her out.” Benny raised an eyebrow and just looked at Dean. He felt his stomach drop.

Charlie was a very out and proud lesbian, and Dean had confided in his friends a while back that he found certain men attractive. It wasn’t something he was hiding, it just hadn’t been something he shared with everyone. It didn’t matter anyway, as he hadn’t been with a man in an extremely long time. They took it well, but Charlie had been obsessed for a while with finding someone for Dean. Someone of the male persuasion. 

“No, Charles. It doesn’t matter who they are. That’s just the rule.” He tried to hold a stern face, but Charlie always managed to break through to the gooey center he tried to hide. 

“From what I heard, he’s gorgeous though, right up your alley! Dark hair, pouty lips, and blue eyes! Isn’t that what you said you were looking for in a guy?” Charlie looked back and forth between Dean and Benny like she really couldn’t remember what Dean had said, but that was it. It was like Dean had given her a list, and she was checking off each of his preferred traits.

“Doesn’t matter. He's still an attendant, and I’m going to be late getting the bus ready. When he gets here, just send him out so we can go over the schedule and be ready for loading.” Dean said this last as he was topping off his coffee and heading for the back door that led to the loading station, and the lot where the buses were kept when not in use. 

He couldn’t help but think about what Charlie had said as he was filling out his pre-trip paperwork. If what she’d said was true, this guy really did hit all of Dean’s markers, but they were literally playing Telephone about him. He might not look anything like what Charlie had described. Thinking he’d know for sure in just a few minutes, Dean finished his checklist and started checking over the bus. 

“You know they have actual mechanics for that sort of thing.” The rumbling voice jerked Dean’s attention away from the dipstick he was using to check the oil, causing him to flip it in the process and get oil all over his arm. Reaching down to pick up the rag to wipe the wayward oil from himself, Dean turned around to find the most beautiful man he’d ever seen in his life. Surprise surprise, he did indeed meet all of Dean’s criteria, and also some he hadn’t even thought to add. Too bad he was an attendant, because that was one rule Dean wouldn’t break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Castiel was a little odd and had a really dry sense of humor, but Dean found him extremely funny. If he’d met him anywhere else, this could have been fun. He greeted the customers with an air of knowledge and exuded an overall sense that he belonged here. If Dean hadn’t been told already, he would have never known he was new. That this was, in fact, his first tour.

Watching Cas move around the bus as they headed East was not how Dean had planned on spending this trip, but there were worse ways to pass the time. Ifevery now and then he caught him looking back in the mirror, Dean would just pretend he’d been checking on the passengers. He’d be glad for the next stop, if it didn’t take him about twenty minutes from his brother’s house. He didn’t want to think of family at all right now. 

Topeka is a fairly decently-sized city, but the bus depot Dean made his way into was mostly deserted, and his stomach fell to his knees. The snow had been picking up the further east they went. It turned out that Gabriel was pushing south at an alarming rate. He had hoped to stay ahead of the storm, but it didn’t look like it was going to happen. Buses weren’t made to drive in snow, and Dean knew that they’d soon be forced to park and wait it out. He had just hoped to be a little further along. 

There was an official-looking man in a knit cap that covered his ears and a coat that swallowed him whole, who came out to greet them and give a few instructions. This was supposed to be a brief stop to allow the passengers to stretch their legs and grab something to eat, but the restaurants were closed up, and Dean was pretty sure what he was about to hear. 

He wasn’t wrong. The passengers, Castiel, and himself, would now be waiting out the storm here in Topeka. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean called Charlie as he pulled the bus around to the parking area every depot seemed to have in the back. Of course, she had known before him that he was going to be sidelined, and where. She also knew how he felt about staying with Sam, even though he knew it would be the logical thing to do. He just didn’t want to.

Charlie had been looking for a motel room nearby, but the depot had received several buses when the roads began to get bad and all of the motels around had filled up fast. It didn’t help that they were right down the road from the airport, which had also closed. Great, he knew what he had to do, but he didn’t have to like it. 

Walking back up through the depot was a bubbly blonde who reminded him of Charlie. “Awful cold out there, dontcha’ know.” Dean just looked at her, because yes he did know. He had just walked in from the back doors, of course he knew. 

“Name’s Donna. Did I just see you come from the bus lot?” At this, Dean nodded. She had a beautiful smile, but he was distracted by the fact that there were no more passengers outside, or inside for that matter. 

“Did everyone find somewhere to stay?” Dean was thinking he might have a chance for a room after all, but the look that Donna sent his way was one of understanding and almost pity. He didn’t like it one bit.

“The last of the passengers couldn’t get a room, they’re going to be staying here. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the buses back on the road tomorrow. If not we’ll have to find somewhere more suitable. I’m staying with them tonight, but I have to get back to my family as well.” She was really too nice for her own good. “Do you have somewhere to stay?”

Dean looked around, there couldn’t really be anywhere comfortable here to stay. He imagined the passengers huddled in the few chairs he had seen in the entryway on the other side of the station and decided to bite the bullet. “Yeah, I can stay with my brother. He doesn’t live too far from here.”

“Oh wow, aren’t you lucky that this was where you were stuck!” She really did seem to think Dean was lucky for having somewhere to go.

“Yeah, lucky me.” Dean couldn’t help the sarcasm that leaked out. It wasn’t her fault that he had issues he didn’t want to work out. He waved off her concerned look and headed back to the front of the station. He needed a cab.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Going out the front doors, there is one lonely cab left and someone is already closing the door. Dean runs up, knocking on the passenger side window to get the driver’s attention. The driver rolls the window down the smallest amount possible. “Sorry buddy, I already have someone.”

Dean looks confused for a moment, because he already knew that. “Yeah, I know. Do you know when the next cab will be out this way?”

“I’m afraid that I’m the last one. The roads are starting to be unpassable even to cars.” He looked around at this, causing Dean to look as well. “In fact, I really need to go if I’m going to get this guy to his motel.”

There was something said from the back seat and the driver looked out to Dean. “He says you can ride with him if you want. He’s headed to the Ramada up the road.” Dean wasn’t going to question it and opened the trunk to toss in his bag and returned to the back passenger door. 

Once he looked inside however, he wished that he had just stayed at the depot. He could have had Sam come pick him up here, but he really didn’t want to make his brother come out in this weather. He was also holding out hope that he could actually get a room somewhere and not have to stay with his brother at all, but that wasn’t the point here. As Dean was thinking all of these things, Cas just smiled up at him. “Are you going to get in?” 

Dean climbed into the cab and the driver immediately pulled out. “Hey Cas, how did you manage a room? Charlie has been trying to get me one even before we arrived.”

Cas had a puzzled look. “I don’t have one yet, but they always keep a few for public workers that are stranded.”

“You do realize that the airport is right down the road right? There aren’t going to be any rooms when you get there.” Dean hated to ruin his illusion, but someone had to. 

“We will see.” Cas was stubborn, he’d give him that. Stubbornness, however, was not going to get him a room if they didn’t have any. If they did end up having some though, Dean was definitely going to take advantage. As they pulled up to the motel, there was indeed a sign stating that there were no vacancies. Dean decided to wait in the cab so that he wouldn’t run off if there weren’t any rooms. 

“Hey bud, I really need to get off the road soon. Do you think your friend found a room?” Just as the driver asked, Cas came back out the doors looking like he had lost his best friend. “I don’t think he did.”

An idea came to Dean at the look of, beaten down by the world, Cas. He didn’t like it, for more than one reason that he didn’t want to look too closely at right at this moment. “No room at the inn?” Joking was always Dean’s way to cope with an uncomfortable situation, and this was going to be a very uncomfortable situation in a minute.

Cas simply shook his head and got back in the car. “I don’t know where to go now.” He sounded so lost that Dean knew he would follow through with his plan, even if it was stupid to begin with. 

“I got you, Cas.” Dean turned to give Sam’s address to the cab driver, and then turned to face Cas in the back seat. “I have an idea, but you’ll have to play along. My brother’s invited me down for years and would be completely thrilled if I came to stay with him. However, it’s a big night for his family. They do decorations and a big get together on the twenty third. My ex will be there and the only way I’m going to survive the reunion is if I’m attached. I guess what I’m saying is, will you pretend to be my boyfriend for the night?”

The last was rushed out and so bunched together that Dean was sure that Cas wasn’t going to understand what he had said, but when he looked up Cas had a pinched look on his face. “Doing this will get me a place to stay for the night?” 

“Well, they’ll probably let you stay either way, honestly.. I just don’t know if I can handle seeing Lisa and having her pester me about why I haven’t been back in town. If you’re my boyfriend, they’ll all just assume that I’ve been spending time with you and not wanting to come back.” Dean sat there, wondering why he’d said all of that while Cas took his time deciding what he was going to do. 

“Okay Dean. I’ll help you out here. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. As long as it won’t make our working relationship suffer. I have decided that I like this job, even if it has been an interesting first run.”

Cas spoke so awkwardly, he almost couldn’t wait to see how Sam reacted to him. “Thanks buddy. Hopefully it’ll only be for one night and we can get back on the road tomorrow.” As he spoke, the cab pulled up in front of a house that Dean was sure would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. “We’re here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say that Sam and Jess were surprised to see Dean was an understatement. The laughs and  _ what are you doing here _ and general well wishes were short-lived, however. Once they caught sight of Cas, standing just behind Dean, they started in on the questions about their relationship. This did have the intended effect of keeping Lisa on the other side of the room. The decorating party was how he and Lisa had gotten together, and Dean didn’t want her remembering those times any more than he wanted to remember them himself. Things had changed, but as much as he wanted to hate Lisa, he didn’t. That was the problem. 

Cas, for his part, was playing the role of boyfriend really well, almost  _ too _ well, if Dean was being honest with himself. He could see Cas holding the position for real, and he couldn’t let himself be swept up in the act. Cas didn’t really want him and even if he did, Dean couldn’t allow that. There were rules for a reason, and his number one rule was definitely there for a reason. It never worked out between drivers and attendants. That’s why he and Benny insisted that this be their number one rule. He needed to talk to Benny and reaffirm his choice.

So it was just his luck that Charlie was the one that answered the phone. “Where’s Benny? Better yet, why are you answering his phone, Short Stuff?” 

“Hello to you too, Dean Bean. Benny had to deal with the krankies that are trying to get a bus out of town. It seems like they haven’t noticed the blizzard going on outside. I’m kind of loving our little hide-away that the boss man has set up right now. At least we have somewhere kind of comfortable to sleep while we're stuck here. Speaking of, how are things at Sam’s?”

Dean looked around. They’d finished the decorations and everyone not living or staying in the house had gone to their respective homes.. “Things are okay. Cas helped me get through the Lisa fiasco that was waiting the minute I walked in, so there’s that.” 

Dean had forgotten that he hadn’t told either Charlie or Benny that Cas had come to Sam’s with him. That lasted until he heard the squealing on the other end of the phone. “You took the new guy home to meet the fam? Wow, Dean, he  _ must _ be hot!” Charlie laughed on the other end of the line, thinking that she had actually succeeded in hooking Dean up. 

“It’s not like that, Charles. He’s only helping me avoid some awkward moments in return for a place to stay. There were no rooms in town.Sam and Jess have this big old house and we get our own rooms. No, sorry to break it to you, I’m sticking to my guns on this one. No dating, um, messing around with the attendants.” Crap, he didn’t know where the dating thing came from. The rules were in place because neither he nor Benny actually dated anyone. They were the lust ‘em and leave ‘em type, and that can cause problems when you mess with those who work with you. 

After a few more minutes of Charlie picking at Dean’s situation, they hang up with a promise that Charlie will have Benny give him a call. Dean really needs to get back downstairs. Leaving Cas with Sam and Jess may not have been the smartest of ideas, but Dean seems to be on a roll in that department. 

Sam and Jess are in the living room watching the same Christmas movies that are on every year and drinking wine. This is also part of what Dean tries to avoid, that sense of repetition. He plops down in the chair closest to the kitchen anyway and Sam smiles at him. “Where’s Cas?” Dean had just noticed that he wasn’t in here with the other two. 

“He said he was tired and was going to bed. Didn’t he stop to tell you goodnight?” Sam seemed concerned that Cas would go to bed without telling his boyfriend goodnight. 

“I was on the phone with work.” He lied smoothly. Technically, it wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t talking about work, either. “He might not have wanted to interrupt the call. I’ll stop and tell him goodnight before I go to bed.” Without having to worry about Cas being left alone with his family, Dean realized just how tired he really was. “Night guys.” he threw over his shoulder as he started up the stairs. 

He knocked tentatively on Cas’ door, and after a moment it opened. “Hey, I just wanted to say good night, and also to thank you again for everything today.” Dean ran a hand over the back of his head. This was a little awkward and it was his fault. Dean was a selfish person, but Cas was doing this for him and he wanted to let him know that he appreciated it.

“No problem, Dean. Your family is lovely and I can’t remember the last time that I had this much fun decorating for a holiday.” Cas had actually enjoyed himself, even if it had been weird pretending he was dating someone that he barely knew. “Goodnight, Dean.”

Dean went back to his room, feeling a little off about the interaction and more than a little upset about having lied to Sam. The others didn’t matter as much, but he and Sam had always been mostly honest with each other. They were all they had, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, when Dean drug himself downstairs, Sam and Jess were already awake, making lists of things that needed to be done for the day. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?” Sam knew he wasn't a morning person, and was already handing him a cup of coffee to help kick his brain into gear. 

“Like a baby.” Dean flipped on the news and groaned. Seems like Gabriel was still wreaking havoc on the surrounding area. At a look from Jess, Dean explained. “Charlie said we’re stalled until the airport opens back up. Evidently if the birds can’t fly, the wheels can’t roll.” The ticker at the bottom of the screen brightly displayed that the airports were, in fact, remaining closed another day. 

“Hey, that means you can help me get ready for dinner and the ball tomorrow!” Jess was excited, and Dean was a little glad that he was able to take some of the stress off his sister in law. 

“Yep, I’m down for a supply run at least. I can show Cas around town a little, too.” Dean knew he needed to talk to Cas about needing to continue their ruse a little longer without Sam and Jess in ear shot. He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d take it. 

Cas seemed to enjoy seeing the sights of Lawrence. There really weren’t that many, but what there was he looked at with childlike enthusiasm. There were street vendors set up downtown and tree farms that always seemed to pop up everywhere this time of year. Dean, for his part, wanted to keep Cas looking so happy. He knew they needed to talk, but he didn’t want to ruin the mood. It was inevitable, though, and after picking up the pies for dinner, he decided it was now or never. “So, the roads aren’t getting any better. Charlie said we’re stuck as long as the airport is closed. We may end up spending Christmas here.”

They were supposed to spend Christmas on the road, so it wasn’t as if Cas was going to be spending it with family anyway, but Dean still felt like he was taking over the holiday by being with his family. 

“I don’t like lying to them. Your family is really nice and very accommodating. I feel horrible about this.” Dean understood where he was coming from, but he didn’t want to give up the closeness that he got to share with Cas in front of everyone. 

“I get it Cas, I really do. Surely this’ll all blow over soon and we can get back on the road and everything can go back to normal.” Although, by this point, Dean wasn’t sure what normal should even look like anymore. He liked the little touches that he and Cas shared, and the kiss on the cheek that he’d received when Cas came down the stairs this morning. They were sweet. They were also fake and that was what Cas was doing here, reminding him that what they were sharing wasn’t real. Dean had to remember that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking around town had made Dean hungry, but the conversation with Cas had stunted his appetite just enough that when they returned to the house, Dean was caught off guard as the smell of burgers made his stomach growl. Cas came up behind him where he had stopped to place the pies on the shelf and wrapped his arms around his waist. Dean really wished that this was real, or at least that Cas would keep it to only when they were in front of the others so Dean knew it was just a show. Not like this, in the pantry where no one could see them unless they were looking for them. Allowing himself a moment to pretend, Dean leaned back into the embrace and could almost swear that he felt Cas kiss his head just above his ear. 

“So, burgers? Cas had probably heard his stomach making that ungodly rumbling sound and wanted it to end as badly as Dean did.

“Sure. Come on, I haven’t been in the closet in years, no need to go back now.” Dean didn’t think about what he was saying until he was out of the pantry and Cas wasn’t behind him any longer. He turned around to find him still standing in the exact position that he had been before, just without Dean in front of him. 

“What? Is everything okay?” Dean was running back through what he said when he had a thought. “You did know that I was bi, right? That part isn’t an act. I hope it doesn’t make this any more awkward, but it isn’t something that I really hide.” He wasn’t going to change who he was, but he didn’t want to make things even weirder between the two of them. If Cas was homophobic, surely he wouldn’t have agreed to pretend to be his boyfriend. But that’s just it, isn’t it? It’s easier to pretend when you think you’re safe from the other person taking it too far. Evidently, Cas just lost that feeling of safety.

“Um, no. I did not realize, although I probably should have. I thought that your family was very accepting. I didn’t think that it was because they had prior knowledge. I’m sorry. It really isn’t a problem, it simply caught me off guard.” Cas walked over and placed a hand on Dean’s wrist. It was friendly, nothing more, but it allowed Dean to release a breath that he hadn’t realized that he was holding. “Come on, I believe that I hear your brother. He really has loud footsteps on the wooden floors.” 

Dean chuckled, “It’s intentional. He’s caught me in some...precarious positions in the past, and tries to give me a little notice that he’s looking for me.” 

Sure enough, as they were leaving the pantry Sam was walking that direction. “Hey guys, dinner’s ready. After, Jess and I have to go over and set up for the ball. I hate that it’s so late, but it’s the only time that they were able to have the doors open.” Sam looked towards the living room and back to his brother. “Can you guys please help? I think Jess is losing her mind over this ball. Dean, you know how big of a deal it is around here. Usually they have freaking committees, but somehow she’s ended up being the only one really doing anything.”

Seeing his brother so tired and worried wasn’t something that Dean was used to, so he looked to Cas to get his feelings on this. He was greeted with a tiny nod. Cas had become quite fond of Jess and Sam as well since they’d been here. “Sure little brother, count us in.” Sam seemed to relax at that, as if Dean would tell him “no” when it was something that he seemed to need so badly. 

Pictures had been taken, and posted to social media, to show that Dean had in fact been back in town and was working on the ball. Jess wanted to brag that she’d convinced him to help and break his streak, but she didn’t think about anyone caring who else was in the picture. That was an oversight that she’d come to regret. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam hadn’t been wrong. It was only the four of them at the high school gym putting up the decorations. It was late when they got back to the house, but Dean had a smile on his face. Christmas eve wasn’t always a good day in his opinion, but this one had been great. Showing Cas around town had been fun, working on the ball had been fun, and the conversations in between hadn’t been bad, either. Dean was surprised to find that he was hoping they could spend tomorrow here, as well. It definitely wasn’t something that he would have thought two days ago. 

Of course, he should’ve known that when he thinks things are going well, that’s usually when all hell breaks loose, and things fall apart. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning was Christmas. The airport was still closed. Dean hadn’t even had to check the TV to find out this little tidbit. Charlie had taken it upon herself to inform him, but he didn’t mind. He’d bought something for Cas, Sam and Jess while they were out yesterday, and was glad that he still had a suit stashed at Sam’s house from his and Jess’ wedding. He was going to have a great Christmas, and he was going to rock it at the ball tonight. 

He knew nothing about the pictures that Jess had posted, or about the many text messages and the few phone calls Cas had dealt with the night before. He only knew that he was with his family and it was Christmas. Watching Cas from the breakfast table, as he made his way down the stairs, still in his pajamas and his hair sticking up in all different directions, just made it that much more obvious that today was going to be good. “Morning Cas, Merry Christmas.”

Cas was only on his first cup of coffee, and not nearly as perky as Dean was this morning. He'd been up most of the night trying to convince Balthazar that he hadn’t been kidnapped and was not being forced to decorate some gym halfway across the country. He ‘d have to deal with that later though. Dean was already through with breakfast, and guiding him into the living room where Sam and Jess sat waiting, apparently used to Dean’s over-exuberance on Christmas morning.

Cas seemed surprised that he had gifts to open. He’d picked up small items yesterday while he and Dean had been in town, but he hadn’t expected anything from the others. They’d literally shown up on the doorstep unannounced, and hadn’t known that they would even be here on Christmas. He, however, loved the navy blue tie with bright yellow bumble bees that Jess had given him, and the book of legends and myths that Sam had gifted him with as well. “Thank you both. I love them, but you really didn’t have to.” Cas said, looking away.. He really wasn’t used to receiving such nice things. 

There was one gift left, however. Dean had noticed the way Cas was shivering in the cold while they’d been in town, and thought that he probably hadn’t packed a thick enough coat for the blizzard they were caught up in. He handed over the package that had been wrapped in simple brown paper with twine. “Sorry the wrapping isn’t the best, but I thought you might like this.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck as he said it, Dean’s typical tell for when he was nervous. 

Cas carefully untied the twine and gently folded the paper back. “It’s okay Cas, no one’s saving the paper.” Dean chuckled, but Cas did speed up with the unwrapping. 

Pulling the trench coat from the paper, he looked up at Dean like it was the best gift in the world. “Thank you Dean. It is a very thoughtful gift. My heavy jacket was left back on the bus and I’m afraid the sweater that I had with me just wasn’t enough.”

“Yeah, I noticed that you looked a little cold yesterday. I’m glad you like it.” Dean went about cleaning up the paper that the four of them had strewn over the house while Cas just stared down at his new coat. 

After lunch, Sam and Jess had to head back to the gym for some last-minute set up to get the place ready for tonight. The caterers were coming with the food and they had to be there to show them where to set up. That left Cas and Dean to get ready at the house by themselves, but they still had a few hours. “Wanna watch a movie, Cas?”

Cas looked down at his phone and seemed to cringe. Dean noticed that he turned it off after that and placed it on the table where his new trench coat was hanging, presumably so that he wouldn’t forget it tonight. “Sure.” That was how they passed the rest of Christmas afternoon, watching sappy Christmas movies and making fun of the fact that they were all exactly the same. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas was beautiful, even if he wasn’t in a suit. He of course hadn’t packed one, and unlike Dean, didn’t have the advantage of having one stashed where they were staying. He was still dressed up in a black pair of slacks, a white dress shirt, and the tie that Jess had given him that morning. He finished up the look with the trench coat that Dean had given him. It wasn’t a suit, but he still looked damn good. 

Dean caught himself staring several times on the walk over to the gym, but he also noticed that the roads were starting to be passable. There were even a few cars out. They would probably be headed out tomorrow, and he didn’t know exactly how he felt about that. 

It was something he’d have to deal with later. Tonight, he was going to have fun, dance with Cas, and maybe drink a little more than he should. Jess had outdone herself. The gym looked even better than it had when he and Cas had left last night. He made sure to tell her that as well. He and Cas made their way over to a table, and were probably leaning a little closer to each other than absolutely necessary, when Dean felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. 

“Hey brotha’, fancy seeing you here.” Dean jumped up and gave Benny a hug, pulling away with a big smile on his face. 

“What are you doing here? Is Red with you? How'd you get here?” Dean was full of questions. If the airports were open, then they’d definitely be headed out tomorrow. 

“Slow down, I can’t answer all your questions if you don’t stop to breathe.” Benny chuckled, but explained that yes, the airports were open, and no, Charlie wasn’t with him. He’d been concerned by the radio silence, and the fact that Charlie had shared some pictures with him. The pictures showed how close he and Cas had been last night. He also just wanted an excuse to get away from the depot, now that it was possible. 

“I didn’t know anything about any pictures.” Dean looked to Cas who seemed to be turning green. “What’s wrong, Cas?”

About that time, there was a disturbance up by the entrance, where a very loud, very tall British man was yelling about someone being kidnapped. Cas shot to his feet and made his way over to the door, taking the hand of the British man, and going out the door. Dean felt his stomach drop. Benny must have sensed it, because he placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder and handed him a drink from the table beside them. 

Dean was mumbling something about how he _ , _ when Cas returned to the table, British man in tow. “Dean, I would like you to meet…” Dean cut him off, “I don’t want to meet your boyfriend, Cas. I told you before how things went with Lisa. This feels even worse. Just — leave. I’ll see you tomorrow, if you’re finishing the trip. I just found out the airports are open, so we're heading out in the morning.” Cas’ face fell and tall, dark and British grabbed Benny and pulled him along with them as they left the table. 

Dean could hear Benny’s protest, but the guy said something and they stopped. Benny followed after him and Cas afterwards, and Dean felt terribly alone, even with all the eyes in the room on him. Deciding he was definitely done with the ball, Dean decided that he was going back to Sam’s and pack up so he’d be ready to go in the morning. He wasn’t surprised to find Cas’ belongings already missing from the room that he’d been using. He turned off his phone and went to bed. He’d deal with this later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Benny had been trying to reach Dean all night, apparently so had Cas, if the messages and missed calls on his phone were anything to go by. He hadn’t even had a chance to really look at them, when there was a knock on the front door. Being the only one up so far this morning, he answered it, unsurprised to find Benny on the other side. “Hey Benny. My phone died last night and I forgot to plug it in.” They both knew it was a lie, but it was one Benny was willing to overlook. 

“You look like shit, do you think you’re gonna be able to finish your run?” Benny seemed concerned, so Dean took a minute to assess himself. He’d drunk a little more than he had planned last night, and had emotional whiplash, but thought he was okay. “I think I’m okay to do the rest of the run. No need to drag someone else away for something that I’m already here for.” It had been an appealing prospect though, not having to face Cas after last night, but he was an adult and he had promised Cas that it wasn’t going to cause problems at work. 

He did not, however, want to face his brother, so he gathered up his belongings and he and Benny shared a cab back to the depot. “Are you going to give him a chance to explain?” At the look Dean was shooting his way, Benny hurriedly continued. “It’s not what you think. You know I’m not one to push this, but you two seem to have some sort of connection. You can’t fake the way you two are around each other. You also can’t fake the way that it’s affected you, or him.” The last was said as Benny turned his head, but Dean caught it anyway. 

“Affected  _ him _ ? He’s the one that had a guy show up in the middle of the ball, and he definitely wasn’t forcing him away.” Dean was on a full-out rant, but Benny cut him short.

“Technically, you had a guy show up in the middle of the ball too, Dean. How do  _ you _ think you jumping up and hugging  _ me _ looked? He doesn’t know me and you didn’t even  _ try _ to introduce me. He at least  _ tried _ to introduce you to the man that showed up. You just wouldn’t let him. All I’m saying is, give him a chance to explain.” Benny was sincere, and he was going to have to work with Cas, so he agreed that if Cas wanted to explain, he’d let him. That’s all he could agree to though, his feelings were a mess and he wasn’t sure what that meant. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas was already on the bus, straightening out his belongings and getting his paperwork ready for the rest of the run. Dean wasn’t used to someone being there before him, and he wasn’t completely sure that he was ready to face Cas just yet, but he’d promised Bennyhe would. He decided he needed to man up and get this over with.  _ This is why you don’t mess with the attendants _ , Dean kept reminding himself. 

“Hey, Cas.” He managed to catch Cas off guard this time, if the way he jumped was anything to go by. 

“So you are talking to me today?” Okay, so  _ maybe _ Dean had been a little childish last night. He felt bad about it, but he would’ve felt even worse if he’d said something that he’d regret. 

“I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to blow you off like that.” It was weak and he knew it, but he couldn’t help himself. Cas, however, had no qualms about making his displeasure known, if the snort that was his reply was anything to go by. 

“Are you going to let me explain now?” Dean wasn’t sure that he wanted an explanation, but he’d promised Benny, and if they were going to finish this run smoothly, he was gonna have to interact with Cas. “Yeah, please do.”

“My cousin has been begging me to come to his house for Christmas. I told him that I had to work, being the new guy and all, but he was convinced that I had been forced to go somewhere against my will. He’s a little eccentric that way, but we love him anyway. Evidently, Jess posted some pictures, and someone saw them, and they got back to Balthazar. He told me he was coming to rescue me, but I thought I had him straightened out. Apparently not, since he showed up here last night and caused a scene. I didn’t want to cause any more problems with your family, so I gathered my things and stayed with him last night. He headed back to Oregon this morning.”

Dean was sure that his mouth had been hanging open from the time the word “cousin” had left Cas’ mouth. He was such an idiot. “Benny said it wasn’t what I thought. I honestly thought that you had a boyfriend back home that was pissed because of something he saw online. We never talked about your relationship status, or even orientation, before we agreed on this plan and I’m sorry for that. It would have stopped a lot of confusion and hurt last night.” Dean said, looking away. Admitting he was hurt by Cas’ theoretical boyfriend showing up wasn’t something he was comfortable with. It was all supposed to be pretend, after all. 

Finally looking at Cas instead of the floor, Dean decided that there was something that he needed to do. “Cas, I’m sorry. I know all of this was supposed to be pretend, and not interfere with work, but I need you to know something. It may have started out as a ruse, but I’ve gotten to know you better over the last few days, and if it’s okay with you, when we get back, can we maybe do dinner?”

“You want to “do dinner?” Like a date?” Cas looked floored, and Dean wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do here, so he started back-tracking.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I just thought maybe as a thank you, but you don’t have to. I wouldn’t want to pressure you…” Cas stopped the ramble by grabbing his face in his hands and bringing their lips together. Cas had kissed him on the cheek multiple times over the few days at Sam’s, but he had never kissed him on the lips. 

“Stop talking, Dean. I want to go to dinner with you, or wherever you would like to go. I like you, I wasn’t sure you felt the same way. Benny explained about the rules, but he did say that you were different, so I was hoping.” Cas had started rambling as well, so Dean took a page out of his book, ending it effectively with another kiss. 

“What fun are rules,” Dean said, breaking their lips apart, “if you can’t break a few?” 

  
  



End file.
